Dr. Hania Stawowy has learned a few things in her 25 years of treating women.

The Albany gynecologist, who also was an obstetrician for many years, knew that most women were stressed and wanted to look better and younger. She knew there were special pains and problems that accompanied, and followed, pregnancy, and that working mothers wanted to be back in shape as soon as possible.

Dr. David Kimble, who has worked with Stawowy at Albany Obstetrics & Gynecology for more than a decade, also had a lot of patients coming to him with conditions that could not easily be treated in his office.

"So our thought was, we have to do something to help people beyond what we're doing now," Kimble said. "It's impossible to do as part of a medical practice."

Stawowy and Kimble, two of the six partners in the OB/GYN practice, decided to open a medical day spa as a side venture. Their Fusion Spa opened May 9 in a medical arts building at 1240 New Scotland Road in Slingerlands. Managing day-to-day operations is Kimble's wife, Laurie Kimble.

Fusion offers traditional spa services like facials and massages; medical services such as Botox injections and laser removal of vericose veins; and therapeutic products and services aimed at various groups, including pregnant women, postpartum women and cancer patients.

All medical and therapeutic services are performed by the doctors or other health care professionals. The partners have contracted with several massage therapists with different specialities, including lymphatic drainage and pregnancy massage.

Although the doctors expect to draw most of their initial clients from their existing patient base, the spa is open to men.

"This is a huge new market for men," Stawowy said. "They enjoy facials and massages, too."

According to Spa Finder Inc., a New York City-based spa marketing and media company, men now make up about 30 percent of spa visitors. The company also listed medical spas as one of the "hot" trends for 2007, with a 33 percent growth in the number of medical spas expected this year.

Kimble said the partners plan to eventually expand the spa's services to include nutrition, weight-loss counseling and other services to help clients achieve "a full makeover."

"We're hoping this is just the beginning stage of what we will eventually be," he said.